ABSTRACT

Child protection is a fundamental responsibility of government. There are many aspects of social life which could function well without government involvement. The extent to which the state should be involved in managing the economy, running industries, and even in providing a safety net for old age are issues on which political parties divide. The differences between the states and territories in terms of definitions of child abuse, and the different operating definitions used by welfare departments for the purposes of their own record keeping, have made it very difficult to gain a national picture concerning the known incidence of child abuse in Australia. Not only do the Australian jurisdictions vary enormously in the proportions of cases which are classified as emotional abuse, but the variations are significant in terms of the numbers per 1000 children. In New South Wales, the rate is 3.0 per 1000, and in Victoria, 2.2 per 1000, compared to a national average of 1.8.